Fulham January Transfer Rumors: 3 Players Fans Would Love to See at the Cottage

2012 was a disappointing year for Fulham. The team lost Clint Dempsey and MoussaDembele over the summer, and despite a decent start to the Premier League season, is now just six points clear of the relegation zone.

And while there won't be a ton of money available to the team to make improvements, there is no question that improvements need to be brought in. Fulham will be bargain hunting, there's no doubt about that. But if the team plays its cards right it could still solidify itself for the second half of the season.

So with Fulham busy already this window, who else should fans realistically look for the team to land?

Jack Butland, Goalkeeper

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The 19-year-old keeper is highly regarded and may take over for Joe Hart as the English starter on the international level in the near future. For Fulham, this would be an excellent addition, no two ways about that.

It's also a practical one. Mark Schwarzer is on the last year of his deal and likely won't be back if this deal goes down, meaning Butland could step in immediately and take over as Fulham's top option.

Fulham are the latest Premier League club to register their interest in Butland and have made a firm enquiry for the 19 year-old this week.

Southampton have also been in informal discussions with Birmingham over the past few days and are expected to make another attempt to sign Butland, after their £6m bid was rejected in the summer.

As Percy notes, Manchester United, Everton and Liverpool have also shown interest in Butland, so Fulham might have to make a very nice offer to bring him in. Still, it would be a coup for the team, and Butland should certainly be on the team's shortlist.

VegardForren, Centre-Back

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With the possibility—however improbable— that captain BredeHangeland could leave the club in January, the team will need a replacement for the reliable centre-back. Enter VegardForren?

Everton are believed to have had a £4million bid for Norway defender VegardForren accepted by his club Molde.

Fulham reportedly made an offer for the 24-year-old on Thursday and Molde boss Ole GunnarSolskjaer confirmed Forren was set to leave the club.

But, according to The Sun, Everton have now rivalled Fulham's bid and are in pole position to wrap up Forren's signature this week.

I'm always of the belief that you can never have enough solid defenders on your team, and Forren is a promising player. While it looks like Everton may snatch him from under Fulham's noses, the team shouldn't give up on landing the talented centre-back just yet.

City chief Roberto Mancini wants to add to his squad and his No. 2 David Platt has launched a raid on the Rams for their 17-year-old midfield sensation.

Hughes is already wanted by Arsenal, Tottenham and Fulham who are all sniffing around as Derby wait for a potential £10 million bid.

But megabucks City have come in and asked Derby to name their price for Hughes and are keen to land him now.

One advantage Fulham may have in that grouping of suitors is the potential to offer Hughes more immediate playing time. It's hard to imagine him seeing the field often given the depth the other sides in his bidding already possess.

Of course, the other clubs may simply price Fulham out of the running. Keep an eye on this one—Hughes would be an amazing get for the team.